1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal fitting that can be inserted into a cavity of a connector housing and that simultaneously can be brought into contact with a contact terminal facing a side wall of the cavity. Moreover, the invention relates to a connector housing and to a connector that comprises such connector housing and at least one such terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Locking portions are formed on some prior art terminal fittings by cutting a section of the terminal fitting and bending the cut section. However the cutting of the above-described locking portion reduces the amount of metal plate material that is available to provide structural strength and rigidity for the terminal fitting. Some terminal fittings must be very small, and the cutting of the above-described locking portion may provide a terminal fitting that has insufficient strength. As a result, some prior art terminal fittings have a separate cover made of a stainless steel with a relatively high strength. The cover is fit on the leading end of the terminal fitting and a locking portion is formed on the cover. One such prior art terminal filling is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,338.
Some prior art terminal fittings of this type are used in connector housings while adjacent terminal fittings are shorted to each other. Specifically, a shorting terminal is provided outside two adjacent cavities, and contact portions of the shorting terminal face the inside of the two cavities through openings formed in a side wall of each cavity. Locking portions lock the terminal fittings during insertion into the terminal cavities, and contact portions of the shorting terminal engage portions of the respective terminal fittings behind the cover, thereby shorting the two terminal fittings to each other.
Many prior art terminal fittings must have a specific orientation for insertion into the cavities, and the requirement to orient the prior art terminal fittings has been cumbersome. To improve operator efficiency, terminal fittings that can be inserted upside down have been proposed. This technology conceivably could be applied to the above-described prior art terminal fittings by forming a pair of locking portions on upper and lower surfaces of the cover. Thus, one of the locking portions can engage a locking part in the cavity regardless of whether the terminal fitting is erect or inverted.
However, the terminal fitting also must contact the shorting terminal, and the unused locking portion in the pair of locking portions may be caught by the shorting terminal or the opening when the terminal fitting is inserted into and withdrawn from the cavity. Thus, a combination of the above-described locking, orientation and shorting functions cannot be accommodated easily.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal fitting, a connector housing and a connector, such that the terminal fitting can contact a contact terminal, and also can be inserted into a cavity while being held upside down.
The subject invention is directed to a terminal fitting that can be inserted at least partly into a cavity of a connector housing and that can be brought into contact with a contact terminal that faces a side wall of the cavity. The terminal fitting comprises at least one terminal side locking portion in a specified position on an outer surface of the terminal fitting. The terminal side locking portion is engageable with at least one cavity side locking portion in the cavity. The terminal fitting further comprises contact portions that can be brought into contact with the contact terminal. The contact portions are provided on surfaces of the terminal fitting that are displaced by an angle of preferably substantially 90xc2x0 from the terminal side locking portion.
Preferably the terminal can be inserted and locked in the cavity either in an erect orientation or an inverted orientation by providing a pair of the cavity side locking portions and/or a pair of the terminal side locking portions.
As noted above, the terminal side locking portion and the contact portions that engage the contact terminal are displaced substantially by 90xc2x0. Additionally, the cavity side locking portion and the contact terminal also may be displaced substantially by 90xc2x0. Thus, if the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity or withdrawn from the cavity of the connector housing in an erect or inverted orientation, the moving path of the terminal side locking portion is away from the position of the contact terminal. As a result, the terminal side locking portion is free from interference with the contact terminal.
The terminal fitting may comprise a cover and a terminal main body. The cover may be provided with the terminal side locking portion and may be fitted integrally on the terminal main body of the terminal fitting. The contact portions may be formed on the terminal main body, and the cover may be formed with openings for exposing the contact portions. More particularly, the contact portions may be formed to project outwardly on the terminal main body and into the openings of the cover. The terminal main body is to be connected with a mating terminal fitting.
The contact portions provided on the terminal main body are exposed through the openings of the cover, and can be brought into contact with the contact terminal. Thus, the cover does not impede the ability of the contact terminal to be brought directly into contact with the terminal main body for electrical connection.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.